Smooth sailing for Aqeel Khan
LAHORE: National champion Aqeel Khan cruised through the first hurdle on te opening day of the Aitchison College Open National Tennis Championships at the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association courts here on Monday.
Top seed Aqeel, fresh from yet another title to his credit added last week on the same courts, powered his way to beat little-known Shakirullah 6-2, 6-1 in the first round.
Another seed Mohammad Abid also secured a facile 6-1, 6-1 win over Parbat Kumar.
Some of the remaining matches went to the distance in which Mahatir Mohammad, Huzaifa Abdul Rehman and Hamid Israr were given time by their respective opponents. Mahatir outlasted Sikandar Hayat 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 before Abdul Rehman ousted Heera Ashiq 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and Hamid had to work hard to overpower Fayyaz Khan 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Results:
Men’s singles:
First round; Aqeel Khan bt Shakirullah 6-2, 6-1; Ahmed Kamil bt Usman Rafiq 7-6, 6-3; Mahatir Mohammad bt Sikandar Hayat 1-6, 6-2, 6-2; Mohammad Shoaib bt Faizan Fayyaz 6-0, 6-1; Ahmed Babar bt Saqib Hayat 6-1, 6-3; Huzaifa Abdul Rehman bt Heera Ashiq 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Imran Bhatti bt Shehzad Khan 2-0 — Shehzad retired; Abdullah Adnan bt Asadullah 6-1, 6-2; Zeeshan Sheikh bt Israr Gul 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; Mohammad Abid bt Parbat Kumar 6-0, 6-1; Yousuf Khalil at Nalain Abbas 6-1,6-2; Hamid Israr beat Fayyaz Khan 4-6, 6-1, 6-3; Barkatullah bt Jabir Ali 6-3, 6-2; Muzammil Murtaza bt Arham Atique Khan 6-2, 6-2.
Age-group qualifying round:
Boys’ under-18: Yahya Ahtraham bt Kashan Tariq 6-3; Ahmed Nawaz bt Muneeb Majeed 6-2; Hasnain Younis bt Syed Abdullah 6-1; Ghazi Ahmed bt Rehmat Ali 6-0; Rayan Munsif bt Hasnain Ali 6-2; Arman Kamran bt Mustafa Hamid 6-1.
Boys’ under-16: Ayyan Amjad bt Ahmad Masood 6-2; Ali Arif Khawaja bt Raja Mustafa 6-1; Rehmat Ali bt Azlan Faisal 6-3.
Boys’ under-14:: Abdullah Yousuf bt Mohammad Ayyan Umar 6-0; Harris Bajwa bt Mohammad Hassan Asad 6-2; Abdullah Sajjad bt Mohammad Talha Salman 6-0; Ayyan Amjad bt Mohammad Ibrahim Manj 6-0; Ibrahim Zaman bt Inam Bari 6-1; Mohammad Mustafa bt Mohammad Hamza 6-1; Asfandyar Azhar bt Momin Siddiq 6-2.
Boys’ under-12: Ibrahim Hassan bt Syed Rohail Shah 6-2; Momin Siddiq bt Mohammad Ayyan Zahid 6-2; Abdullah Mubeen bt Hamza Rehan 6-1.
Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2021